On the Menu Tonight – Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie!
For Thanksgiving dinner, I always make the standard turkey, ham, and some side dishes, but Audrey doesn’t eat meat. I wanted to make her a special dish as well, so we agreed on Shepherd’s Pie, a vegetarian version.
This dish is so hearty and delicious! It’s packed with two different kinds of mushrooms, parsnips, onions, butternut squash… SO many things and then topped with the most delicious mashed potatoes.
Often times when I’ve had shepherd’s pie, the mashed potatoes taste like they were an afterthought… “oh yeah! We need to put some mashed potatoes on top….” Not in this dish. I took the time to make classic mashed potatoes you would be proud to serve on their own.
The shepherd’s pie was so good, we decided to try it for breakfast. I heated a plate in the microwave and while that was going, I fried a couple of eggs. WOW! OMG, it was SO good! This picture almost didn’t happen, that’s how good it was.
While I made this for Thanksgiving, it would be great anytime of the year. Don’t let the vegetarian bit in the title turn you off. There is plenty of flavor in this dish and you won’t be left wanting to go back for anything other than seconds! I hope you will try my vegetarian shepherd’s pie.
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie Start with the mashed potatoes Prepare a large pot of water on the stove, but don't turn it on yet Peel the potatoes and cut them to relatively equal size - I go for quarters. Don't cut them too small, but you want them to cook evenly As you cut the potatoes, add them to the pot so they don't oxidize Once you have them all in the pot, THEN turn it on high and bring to a boil As the water is boiling, add a couple of tablespoons of salt, like you would when cooking pasta After about 8-10 minutes, test if you can easily pierce the potato with a knife or fork (depending on your application, you may WANT them to be al dente. If you are putting the mashed potatoes on a shepherds pie as an example Once cooked to your liking, drain in a colander Add the butter to the pot along with the milk, then add the potatoes back to the pot and begin mashing. If you are going to use a ricer, have a large bowl ready and start ricing. Add the cream cheese and mix that in along with your first bit of salt and pepper Taste and adjust seasoning Cover and set aside so you can start on the filling Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees In a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoon oil Add mushrooms and cook until deeply brown, remove from skillet Lower heat to medium and add remaining oil Add onion, celery, parsnips, and butternut squash, cook until starting to become browned, about 12 minutes Stir in tomato paste and garlic, stirring often, about 2 minutes Stir in miso paste, immediately deglaze with wine, and cook 1 minute more Add the mushrooms back in and stir in the lentils Sprinkle in the flour and stir until well incorporated Add the vegetable stock Season with salt and pepper Bring to a simmer and cook until the lentils are al dente, about 15 minutes Assembly: Add the veggie mixture to a 13x9 baking dish Carefully spread the mashed potatoes on top Bake for about 35 minutes. You want the mashed potatoes to have some golden brown points on top If the potatoes aren't browned after 35-40 minutes, feel free to use the broiler to get the look you want After baking, cover and let it rest at least 15-20 minutes You could easily take this dish vegan by using vegan butter and omitting the cream cheese and milk
Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
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